To Sharpen or Not to Sharpen? The Surprising Truth About New Lawn Mower Blades - Pros and Cons

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We go over the practical answer to whether or not you should sharpen your lawn mower blades when they are new.
Should You Sharpen Your New Lawn Mower Blades? That depends! Pros and Cons Explained
Are you debating whether to sharpen your brand new lawn mower blade before use? In this video, we explore the pros and cons of sharpening your blade to help you make an informed decision.
We start off by explaining the benefits of a sharp blade, such as a cleaner cut and healthier grass. However, we also cover some potential downsides, including the risk of injury and reduced blade lifespan.
We wrap up by summarizing our findings and providing some recommendations based on your specific needs and preferences.
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My name is Martin. I have been repairing tools and small engines for almost 20 years. We operate a small engine repair shop in Illinois. We service / repair Briggs & Stratton, Kohler, Kawasaki, John Deere, Cub Cadet, Toro Tecumseh, Loncin, Honda, Craftsman, Husqvarna, MTD, Troy Bilt, Simplicity, John Deere, Exmark, LCT, Generac and many more brands. We work on riding mowers, walk behind mowers, snow blowers, zero turns, generators, pressure washers and much more. We normally repair about 3,000 pieces of equipment every year and look at many more that are beyond an affordable repair. Hopefully our videos will save you some money and give you the information you need to work on your own equipment or figure out the issue at hand.
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[@jestillwell1964]

Not sure how many acres we mow in camp, but it is around 20. Sharp blades are essential so that you can mow at full speed. If the blades are not sharp, you have to mow half of the deck and at half the speed. We work on keeping the fields clear of limbs. You would spend 1-2 days alone picking up small limbs and twigs so you could mow only to have more on the ground as soon as you sit on the mower. I never get a chance to find out how long blades last. Rocks put in nicks, small limbs/twigs dull, but it is the tree roots that slowly come up from erosion that bend the blade and take it out of service. My wife and I know where the roots are that you cannot mow over. It is when someone else gets on the mower trying to help during summer camp that the outer blades will be destroyed. We rotate through 9 sets of blades. There are placards I made that are green sharp/red dull that are on the hook with each set. We track everything about the mower in a log book. When a blade becomes bent, it is taken out. If there are used spare blades that are not bent, then one of those blades will be put in its place. If not, the 2 blades that are not bent will be moved to the used spare hook and a new set of blades put in the rotation. It takes 2 sets of blades to completely mow the entire camp. I wait until there are 4 or more sets of blades before I sharpen them.

[@IndRepair]

Sounds like a good system! Thanks for watching!

[@georgedavall9449]

@ 06:58 You mentioned ‘butter knife,’ well in reality, a mower blade need not really be much sharper than a good butter knife. Now do I sharpen my blades to a really fine edge, YES! But I don't go overboard, and I monitor the look of the grass blades, as to whether they look like they were cut, or hacked by the blade? And Yes, I live surrounded by trees, so ‘policing’ the yard before cutting is a must! Good video!

[@IndRepair]

This is so true! Thanks for watching!

[@georgedavall9449]

@@IndRepair You're Welcome! 👍

[@MrMnmn911]

Hmmm. I would think that the manufacturer would balance the blades before they are shipped...I mean why wouldn't they? Are we to believe that all manufacturers do not have any quality control at all for balancing their blades prior to shipping?

[@IndRepair]

Most are manufactured without being balanced but are close enough not to make much of a different. Just getting bounced around and scratched/impacted during shipping can throw the balance of a blade off. The paint also much times is more pronounced on one side than the other (runs/thickness), which does throw off balance for sure

[@KSMike1]

My two cents is, a razor sharp blade will be dull in one mowing anyway, since mower blades aren’t hardened like nearly every other cutting tool in our lives. Honda even specifies that their blades be sharpened to an edge, and then a *blunt* filed onto the very edge, creating two square corners that will stay “sharp” longer than an actual sharp edge.

[@IndRepair]

I have a couple commercial guys that get their blade sharpened every week or two depending on how they cut and they stay pretty sharp. Two square corners to create a double cutting edge and wear evenly as opposed to a razor sharp edge makes good sense! Thanks for your input!

[@mrBDeye]

My razor sharp blades don’t dull in one mowing.

[@IndRepair]

You have a yard that your not mowing stuff that most people mow over without policing the yard. Good job!

[@nuancolar7304]

One should not think about a mower blade edge the same way you would think about a knife edge. Consider the force that the mower blade is spinning, This means you need a stronger edge as opposed to a finer, sharper edge. If you thin that edge out, it's just going to "round over" as soon as it starts wearing and you'll have a fatter, duller edge. I would refrain from dickering with the edge of a new blade, and don't over-sharpen it when you do put the grinder to it.

[@IndRepair]

Definitely the truth here!

[@philliphall5198]

New ones I don’t worry about it

[@IndRepair]

Seems to be what everyone says but I have a lot of people come in with blades they bought wanting them sharpened every day this time of year

[@fartsackjack7081]

i miss it 😞

[@IndRepair]

Nice to hear from you!!

[@envtldude]

What are you using to check the balance of the blade?

[@jacobh4954]

This is what my dad taught me years ago and I do to this day. It works for me. I brush it down well with a wire brush to get off grass and dirt. I use a hand file and go to work. Then I take a piece of fishing string and run it through the middle hole to hold it up. Then you can adjust accordingly with more filing in the heavier side. Labels, dirt, and grass are all going to affect the balance of the blade.

[@IndRepair]

We use the 42-047 Oregon blade balancer. Not cheap but we use is a lot so better is always good. Thanks for watching!

[@IndRepair]

They always found a way to get it done even without the fancy tools. Thanks for watching!

[@fartsackjack7081]

10 miles n hr ...choppin up bottles n bags paper n parakeets ........SOUNDS LIKE BOUNDS MOWIN ........LMAO 😁

[@IndRepair]

Haha he sure mows it quick!!

[@EarlMantis]

No you shouldn’t sharpen them new in the box

[@IndRepair]

Thanks for sharing!